Yankee Pettitte retires

The New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, Major League Baseball's top postseason winner, has decided to retire after 16 seasons.

Pettitte was a key member of five World Series-winning teams with the Yankees and won 19 games in postseason play, four more than runner-up John Smoltz had for Atlanta.

The 38-year-old left-hander, who had been weighing whether to return for a 17th major league season, went 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts in 2010 despite spending two months on the disabled list late in the season with a groin injury.

After the Yankees fell to the Texas Rangers in last season's American League Championship Series, Pettitte hinted that it might be time for him to walk away.